Comment by jerf

I remember watching commercials for the PS1 at the time, as a member of their target audience, and I was generally underwhelmed. Even at the time, 10fps footage on TV didn't impress me and didn't compel me to want to buy one. In my opinion, it really didn't have enough power to be a 3D system. Excellent 2D system, though.

The first system that I feel like had enough power to be a 3D system without being completely terrible was the Dreamcast. It had enough power that you could target 60fps and even if you missed it, get close enough, and have enough power to draw recognizable environments and make things that could at least hide the fact they weren't made out of huge polygons, with a bit of artistry. It wasn't near obligatory to spend multiple refreshes' worth of time on a single frame to put up a competitive-looking frame. I played quite a few games on that and it was rare to see slideshows. All the 3D I've played prior to that still feels clunky to me, but playing the Dreamcast feels primitive, but workable.